NAB 2018

vMix will be back again to NAB for its 6th year! You can find us in the South Lower Hall- SL 4620. Just take a right at EVS and you’ll see us! What are we excited to see at NAB this year? Well I think we are hoping for more NDI hardware options, especially with cameras. We haven’t officially heard anything but it would be great if there were more products to choose from. I’m sure there will be a lot more exciting stuff announced the closer we get to the show.

NAB is a great place to see all of the new equipment and get some hands-on experience with it. There will be a few live shows scattered around the trade show floor too, so take a look and maybe get some pointers. Doing a live show at one of the busiest trade shows in the world is no easy feat!

vMix will have a tonne of compatible companies at NAB this year, so we’d thought we’d let everyone know where they were so you could chat. We really need to work out some kind of deal where if you mention vMix you get a massive discount on your next purchase or at least a free stubby cooler. Speaking of free stuff, be sure to drop by and collect an official NAB 2018 limited edition vMix mousepad!

vMix Partners and Friends!

The NDI journey with vMix…so far.

Back in 2014 when we first heard about NDI, we were pretty excited about the possibilities. Being able to create live video productions using video sources on the local network sounded almost too good to be true. At first I remember being a little skeptical as my only contact with IP video was with cheap IP cameras that were unreliable and had extreme latency. As we begun developing vMix for use with NDI I can remember having a moment thinking…hey this could actually work! It’s great quality, low latency video that can be delivered over the local network without any hassles! When NDI officially launched in 2015 we were excited to be apart of a new live video revolution. We were ALL IN with NDI and wanted full integration so we made it possible to both send and receive video sources including individual cameras!

With the development of NDI you could see that it had been created to not only make IP video more accessible but to help bring more live video elements together. Most systems for live video production in the past,both software and hardware, were fairly closed ecosystems. Developers would need to go out of their way, sign exclusivity agreements and only work on certain platforms. Now with NDI, each product has the ability to connect with most live video systems on the market. This has really opened the opportunity for more and more professional production through high-end CG graphics, real-time playout, and source sharing…all over a local network. Instead of needing huge hardware surfaces in a giant room to produce events, many functions can now be performed by a computer or laptop in the same room…or anywhere really, as long as they’re on the same network!

Get prepared for NAB Show!

It’s just ticked over into 2018 which means that it’s less than 3 months until NAB Show 2018 (April 9-13). Yes, that means it’s time for us to start preparing for our time in Las Vegas. For us that means we need to practice standing on our feet for 10 hours a day, walking 10 miles, and shaking 1,000 hands! We have our mega-long flights booked, our hotels sorted, car rentals done and have started fasting in order to prepare for Las Vegas buffets.

If you have planned to go to NAB, start booking now! Although Vegas is a huge place, NAB bring A LOT of people to town and it tends to get expensive.

Why go to NAB Show 2018?

NAB show in Las Vegas is the biggest broadcast tradeshow in the world with over 102,000 attendees! It’s the place to be if you’re into movie making, live production, editing, post-production, audio, VR/AR, streaming, cameras, tripods, lenses, etc etc. There is a lot to see at NAB, so if you’re sick of watching YouTube recaps of NAB Show every year…come and see it first hand!

Sure, it may be a little overwhelming at first and the larger booths can be a little standoffish but there is plenty of people to meet and products to try. Part of the fun of NAB Show is that because there are 1900+ exhibitors, there is a lot of stuff to be seen! Everyone has heard of the big brands, but NAB opens up a level playing field for everyone. If you’ve got a booth at NAB, then everyone there has access to you and your product. The smaller companies will most likely have REAL staff members of the company working there. They have a working knowledge of the product/service and might even be the creator of it! The first vMix booth was a tiny little hotdog stand, so you never know what company or product you might discover walking the backs of the halls.

vMix Tips for Maximising Your NAB Experience!

Now there are a lot of lists like this, and I’m sure it’s all been said before, but maybe you’ve never been to NAB and want to know!

1. Wear comfortable shoes!

Las Vegas Convention Centre is a LARGE place. Most convention centres are the size of 1 of the halls there…and there are 4 halls at the LVCC! Not to mention the hallways, meeting rooms, nooks and crannies all over the place! You’re on your feet most of the day, so having comfortable shoes is the only way to travel. Another tip is to search for those booths with the double cushioned carpet! Oh boy, it’s like walking on a cloud. I have added extra to the carpet budget this year because I need that cloud cushioning! Don’t worry about fashion at NAB and just wear comfortable shoes. Sure, you’re probably going to end up in the background of a YouTubers NAB video or a PTZ Optics live stream, but they shouldn’t be able to see your shoes!

4K Capture Is Now More Accessible Than Ever!

One of the main issues with 4K becoming mainstream has been the capture dilemma. 4K capture has really only started to take off in 2017 and that’s been mainly for PCIe capture. The new Magewell USB Capture 4K Plus allows you capture 4K 30p video signals over USB 3. This makes it perfect for situation where you may only need 1 4K camera or if you’re totally mobile. It even has an inbuilt fan for cooling! The device is now featured on the vMix Supported Hardware page.

What else can it do?

The device also supports high frame rates with Full HD. You can to do a 1080 60p production with one! This is great for video production and also game capture at high frame rates.

What Connections Will It Support?

The Magewell USB Capture 4K Plus has 2 models in the range, HDMI and SDI. You can find out all of the information about the device at the Magewell website.

How Can I Use 4K With vMix?

vMix has supported 4K video production for many years now. You could use the Magewell USB Capture 4K Plus with vMix to bring in a 4K camera source that could be used in a 4K production. vMix also gives you the ability to create 1080p or 720p shots within a 4K source. That means you could create multiple camera angles but only have one camera! Using the merge transition in vMix allows you to seemlessly switch between them just like it was using mulitple cameras.

You can download a free trial of vMix at our website. You are able to use the PRO edition for 60 days with no watermarking.

NAB New York and our IP only booth setup!

The trip kicked off with New York City! NAB NY was bigger and better this year and gave vMix a great opportunity to connect with people from the east coast. We had a small booth there with our usual laptop setup. Instead of using any capture hardware, NDI was chosen to ingest our Sony PX70 camera via SDI. We had the Bird-Dog Studio and a router to help provide us with our first ever IP only booth set up!

TwitchCon

Being in the US during October gave us the opportunity to go to the worlds largest streaming show, TwitchCon. This con sees a wide array of different things on display that make up the Twitch community. Gaming is the standout but there was plenty dedicated to catering to different sections including creative, table-top, music, podcasts, IRL and more. Everywhere you looked there was someone streaming something!

Streaming Media West

Streaming Media West wrapped up a long tour of the USA. It’s a nice location so it’s not too hard to add it to our schedule. Huntington Beach is just across the road and the Hyatt Regency is a place to behold. We got lost on more that one occasion just trying to find the hotel room. As this is more of an industry event, it was great to hear from leaders in live streaming and OTT. Martin was able to speak about our recent 4K build and how it was now affordable to do live 4K production with off the shelf parts.